Published: Monday, May 5, 2014 at 12:58 PM.

Near the end of Wolf Swamp on the north side of Jacksonville, former Navy “Devil Doc” Phillip O’hara and his small team of brewers have erected Jacksonville’s newest distillery.

Diablo Distilleries was established on farmland just outside of the city in 2012. O’hara’s mission? Brew the best corn whiskey moonshine in the state.

“Right now we are in every ABC store in Onslow County, as well as in 14 other counties,” O’hara said. “In two years, we hope to cover North Carolina.”

As a child, O’hara grew up around construction and coal mining in the small city of Jellico, Tenn. He later joined the Navy and served as a doctor to Marines in Operation Desert Storm.

After retiring from the military, O’hara decided to pursue his passion for home-brewing. With the help of a few friends, O’hara was able to construct an elaborate distillation center, complete with a hand-crafted 234-gallon still made from 1,100 pounds of copper.

In March, Diablo Distilleries sold its first bottle of Hell Hound Whiskey, a name derived from Marine Corp “devil dog” lore.

“Our goal was to make a whiskey that women would want to drink,” O’hara said. “We knew if we could make it smooth enough for them to enjoy, then the husband is going to go out and buy some.”

Near the end of Wolf Swamp on the north side of Jacksonville, former Navy “Devil Doc” Phillip O’hara and his small team of brewers have erected Jacksonville’s newest distillery.

Diablo Distilleries was established on farmland just outside of the city in 2012. O’hara’s mission? Brew the best corn whiskey moonshine in the state.

“Right now we are in every ABC store in Onslow County, as well as in 14 other counties,” O’hara said. “In two years, we hope to cover North Carolina.”

As a child, O’hara grew up around construction and coal mining in the small city of Jellico, Tenn. He later joined the Navy and served as a doctor to Marines in Operation Desert Storm.

After retiring from the military, O’hara decided to pursue his passion for home-brewing. With the help of a few friends, O’hara was able to construct an elaborate distillation center, complete with a hand-crafted 234-gallon still made from 1,100 pounds of copper.

In March, Diablo Distilleries sold its first bottle of Hell Hound Whiskey, a name derived from Marine Corp “devil dog” lore.

“Our goal was to make a whiskey that women would want to drink,” O’hara said. “We knew if we could make it smooth enough for them to enjoy, then the husband is going to go out and buy some.”

Helping O’hara brew “shine” in the distillery is Shelby Heckle and O’hara’s future son-in-law, William Felker. The trio combine their talents to produce a very potent product.

“The first thing we do is basically make fermented mash from traditional yellow corn and barley,” Felker said. “We transfer that over to the still and strip the beer for the first distillation. For the second distillation, we toss all the alcohol in and we run it again through the still. That will come out at a higher proof, 150 or 160, then we cut it back down to 80 proof with water.”

The average time to make around 600 bottles takes roughly three weeks with the current equipment. While that is fast enough to turn a profit, O’hara would like to ramp up production with the creation of a new 1,000 gallon still.

More Hell Hound whiskey on the stores shelves would be a welcome sight for Mitzi Williams, who had her first taste of the “shine” only a few weeks ago.

“I saw the bottle in the store with its bright red label and decided to give it a whirl,” Williams said. “I normally am not a fan of really strong-tasting liquors that burn your throat, so I wasn’t sure about it at first. It was amazing once I tried it, though. It’s very smooth and doesn’t make you feel bad the next day.”

A bottle of Hell Hound costs $29.95 and is bottled and labeled by hand. The entire product, including the corks, glass and labels, are all made in America.

In the near future, O’hara plans to release new flavors and varieties, and possibly open the distillery once a week for tours and taste testings.